Henry Every

Henry Every (August 1659-1696) was a pirate from England who had a very successful two-year pirating career in the mid-1690s. Every led the most profitable raid in history, with his ship Fancy capturing the Mughal Empire's ship Ganj-i-Sawai and 500,000 gold and silver pieces; he retired early and quietly lived out the rest of his life.

Biography
Henry Every was born in August 1659 in Devon, West Country, England. In 1689, Every joined the Royal Navy and participated in several battles of the War of the Grand Alliance before becoming a slaver on the coast of Africa. In 1693, Every was employed aboard the Spain-commissioned warship Charles II, and on 7 May 1694 he was named captain by the crew after a mutiny. Every sailed towards the Indian Ocean and plundered five ships off West Africa, and in 1695 he avoided being captured by France near the Comoros. In September 1695, he ambushed a convoy of 25 ships of the Mughal Empire as they made the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and Every joined forces with Thomas Tew in capturing the treasure-laden ship Ganj-i-Sawai and 500,000 gold and silver pieces. Tew was disemboweled by a cannon shot in the battle, letting Every claim all of the spoils, and a worldwide manhunt began as England (angry that its relations with the Mughals had deteriorated) sent ships after him. He eluded capture as his men fled to New Providence in the Bahamas or England, and he died after 1696 after living a quiet life.